


Just a Ghost Out of His Grave

by shaggySparrow (MargoKriak)



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Respawns, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ghost Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ghost Wilbur Soot, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Memory Loss, Not Beta Read, Not much tho, Platonic Relationships, Post-Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Swearing, Toby Smith | Tubbo-centric, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28452699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MargoKriak/pseuds/shaggySparrow
Summary: Basicaly Tubbo dies at the Festival and becomes a ghost.(I had no idea about how to summarize. Writing a fic isn't as easy as math-)Title from: Ghosting - Mother Mother
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & Technoblade, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 3
Kudos: 253





	1. Ghost in the world, ghost with no home

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since my last writing, but I needed to get this little idea of mine out of my head.  
> This fic is finished! I just need to translate the last chapter (bc English is not my native language).  
> If you see any grammar/punctual mistake, please correct me so I could fix it!  
> And if I missed any of the tags, also tell me about this, please!
> 
> Also Happy New Year on your side of the planet!
> 
> Enjoy the fic! Sorry for possible OOC, I'm new with most of the MCYTs...

. .-. . -

Tubbo opened his eyes and found himself in a strangely familiar place. Perhaps if there were no walls here, he could at least recognize the forest that Tommy and he had passed through before entering the Dream SMP lands. Tubbo decides to walk around the perimeter in search of an exit, which he later finds after a while. The boy comes out of the tunnel, surrounded by a spruce forest. Without thinking twice, he chose to go straight.

To be honest, Tubbo is not sure he remembers being here. Judging by the sun, it was already about noon, so maybe Tommy had decided to play a trick on him by taking him out into the woods at night. But where was Tommy then? No, Tubbo does not think his friend would joke like that.

What happened yesterday? He does not remember, and it makes him feel so hot, like he is burning up, even though he can feel the breeze. He will find out when he gets to Tommy.

Tubbo did not even notice that he was on the other side of the river (when did he get there? He does not even remember crossing the bridge or swimming.) Without giving it much thought, the boy went on.

On the way, he saw the high walls, behind which Tubbo noticed the towers, presumably the castle. A rainbow flag stood in beauty on the top of the tallest tower.

‘How far am I from SMP?’ The boy thought as he stopped ten blocks from the wall. Maybe he should look for the entrance and ask the owner where it is. Tubbo strolled along the wall, mostly enjoying the fresh air.

Soon he finds a passage in the wall, near which the guards are standing. They both gave Tubbo a strange look and, as it seemed to the boy, startled. He moves cautiously closer, and the guards step back to let him pass. Tubbo hesitates, then decides to enter.

“Tubbo? Hello!” He hears a friendly, familiar voice. Why does it sound familiar?

The boy looks at the person who called out to him. They looks familiar, but why? Tubbo got hotter from the fact that it was difficult for him to remember.

“Are you alright? You’re awfully pale.”

Tubbo does not answer, continuing to study the familiar stranger's features until something clicks in his head.

_He is in a warm place that smells like freshly baked bread. Next to him are a girl with a kind smile and someone else with black shades. Tubbo holds a cookie tray in his hands, and the two older ones (his friends?) gently shaggy his head._

_“Well done, Tubbo!”_

_"Thank you for your help at the bakery today, Tubbo, Eret.”_

_Eret._

But why does Eret wear a crown?

And why is the sight of the crown so frightening?

~~_“Down with the revolution, boys. It was never meant to be.”_ ~~

~~_“I’m sorry, Tubbo. I’ll make it as painless and colorful as possible.”_ ~~

“I’m okay.” The boy finally responds. "Can you tell me which way Dream SMP is? I need to find Tommy.” He wants to leave. He wants to see Tommy.

“We’re in Dream SMP, Tubbo.” Eret says, looking at him worriedly. “You sure you’re all right?”

Tubbo was not sure what to say. If they were in Dream SMP, why could he not remember seeing the castle anywhere near here?

“Tubbo? Did something happen at the Festival?” Eret asks, trying to attract the attention of the younger.

_The Festival._

It seems like something important, but it's all too blurry in his head.

The Festival.

Blue. Red. White.

“I gotta go.” And with a sudden wave of fear, he ran on down the road, through the castle, to the exit, to the familiar building of the Community House, until he felt calmer.

_Eret decided not to follow the boy, just looking after him until he was out of sight._

_The king later heard that Niki had been banished from Manberg._

_Niki told him that Tubbo had been executed at the Festival._

_But who did Eret see?_

-.. .-. . .- --

Tubbo had been wandering around the area for some time, barely recognizing anything. He did not find the house he built, but he did find Tommy's house. It seemed strangely ... empty? Abandoned? It was as if the owner had been away forever. Everything is covered in dust, some chests are opened and emptied, and others are overturned. And there was no jukebox near their bench.

The boy decided to wait until his friend returned home. The server is strangely empty today. He had seen only Eret and the guards all day. Where did the others go? Why is everything so different? Why can he not remember anything clear?

Tubbo sat on the bench, lost in thought. Sometimes he would forget himself and start humming the tune of one of Tommy's discs. And so it lasted until the very beginning of sunset. It was only now that Tubbo got the idea of checking at his friend’s summer house.

The boy was about to get up when he heard someone yawn. He turned around and saw the masked person.

“Hello.” The person in green greeted. “Remember me?” They asked, tilting their head in question. “I guess not. I don't think you had many good memories of me.”

Tubbo stared at the masked stranger, who seemed both intimidating and reassuring at the same time. Which was not very encouraging. The boy was about to seize on some flash of memory when he was interrupted.

“Don’t bother yourself.” The person in green said as they sat down on the bench next to Tabbo. The sun was almost down.

“Who are you?” The boy decides to ask after a couple of minutes of silence.

“Dream.”

“The admin of Dream SMP?”

Dream nods. He seemed to be thinking about something. Although, it's hard to say for sure because of the mask that covered his entire face.

"To be honest, I thought that you would immediately run after Tommy after waking up.”

“I can’t find him.” Dream muttered something under his breath, nodding. “Do you know where he is?”

“No, but he's probably somewhere south of here.” The admin gets up and starts to leave. “I have to go. See you later, Tubbo.” He said and disappeared.

Dream's tip led Tubbo to a land without walls. Wandering through the deserted streets at night, the boy found a grave.

**_HERE LIES_ **

**_TUBBO “TRAITOR”_ **

_A traitor? He... what did he do? What is this place? Why doesn't he remember anything?_

_To his right, he noticed a podium with a yellow box on it. For some reason, it looked terribly frightening._

\--.- ..- .- -.-. -.- .. - -.--

Toward the end of the night, Tubbo came upon another spruce forest. He is still coming to terms with the thought of his own death. The boy found distraction in figuring out other changes in him, excluding major memory lapses, unusual heat, sudden feelings of fear, and, as he later noticed, almost gray skin.

The first thing Tubbo found out was that he could not pass through anything if it was thicker than a block. Accordingly, he will not be able to fall through the ground if necessary. It just pulls him out.

The next thing he knew, he could float. No higher than half a block, but still.

Also, Tubbo learnt that being under water is terribly unpleasant. This leaves an uncomfortable feeling, as if he was stuffed into the stove and left to melt there. It was as if his whole ghostly being was shifting from one state to another, like ice to water.

In general, the day in the forest was very busy. Tubbo had almost forgotten that he wanted to go look for Tommy. But after seeing his tombstone, the ghost was not sure if Tommy would want to meet up with him. Dream said Tommy was supposed to be here somewhere. So Tommy is in that town? And Tubbo betrayed him?

It was hard to imagine the latter, but who else could Tubbo betray? He hardly knew anyone else here.

Looking up at the sky, the ghost noticed that the sun was already beginning to set. Maybe he could find someone and find out what happened. But, again, will he be welcomed?

Tubbo choses to observe from afar, hoping to gather some scraps of information.

As he approached the town, he began to hear someone shouting. The voice of one of the participants in the argument left a nagging feeling of fear in the boy's chest. It was hard to make out what they were talking about, so Tubbo decides to sneak closer, despite the unusual shivering.

“…You’re in power because of me!”

“I’m the president! Remember? You wouldn’t have any power if it wasn’t for me!”

“We put our fucking votes together! We were supposed to be a team! And now…”

The voices were getting louder, and not just because Tabbo was getting closer to them. The two of them seemed to be trying to shout over each other. All their anger and frustration made the little ghost's whole being go hot and cold all over.

“…I ran against Wilbur to prevent dictatorship. You know what you fucking did? You-”

“I’m not done! I’m…”

Wilbur? Dictatorship? Tubbo misses a lot.

_He remembers Wilbur. He remembers the older one playing his guitar. He and Tommy were waiting for Wilbur's visit to the server._

Tabbo barely noticed when the voices in the background faded and a person ran past his hiding place-

It was-

Who is this?

The ghost decides to follow them, hoping to remember.

_He was... somewhere.This place reminded him of the town he was in. There were a lot of dogs snarling at Tommy. Technoblade was here, too. And then there was someone with dark hair, a blue jacket, and a mask pushed to one side with a silly smile painted on it._

_“We need more dogs, Big Q!”_

“Quackity?” Tubbo said, unexpectedly loud, even to himself.

_When Quackity heard someone’s voice, he abruptly turned around and noticed a boy in the green shirt behind a tree. But before he could react, there was movement to his right, and then the sound of hooves. After seeing Tommy on a horse, Quackity ran, forgetting about the familiar-looking boy._

Technoblade

Tubbo wandered through the forest for some time, until he noticed a figure in a red cloak standing in the distance against the background of green grass and trees. The boy wasn't sure if he should stay where he was or hide behind a tree. As a precaution, he chose the latter option.

When it seemed to him that the figure should have passed by, Tubbo peeked out from behind his hiding place, but to his wonderment, he found no one. When he turned around, he recoiled in surprise and fright at the sight of a familiar pig hybrid.

“Tubbo.” Technoblade said with a barely perceptible question, looking around suspiciously with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“H-hi, Technobl-Ade!” The ghost replied, carefully concealing his fear. “What brings you to the SMP?”

Technoblade looked at him in disbelief before giving him an answer.

“ _Eh?_ I’ve been here for quite a long time, you know that.” The hybrid's ears twitched in different directions, searching for extraneous sounds. “You’re supposed to be dead.” He says with the suspicion from his voice.

“And I am! I just don’t remember how…” Tubbo winces at the sudden rush of heat as he says this. “What happened?” The boy looked into Technoblade's eyes, hoping for an answer, hoping his friend's brother wasn't mad, _hoping-_

~~_Why this seemed so familiar?_ ~~

"You have committed a treason. You’ve been executed.”

~~ _“KILL HIM, TECHNOBLADE. AND MAKE IT HURT.”_ ~~

~~ _“I’m sorry, Tubbo. I’ll make it as painless and colorful as possible.”_ ~~

_…_

_What?_

“O-oh. H-hah, um. That. S-sounds terrible.”

“Yes. It does.”

Tubbo was quiet, processing the new information and trying to calm his trembling. Technoblade started to leave, but the teenager stopped him.

“Technoblade?” The hybrid met the ghost's eyes again. “How’s Tommy?”

~~ _"TUBBO!"_ ~~

“Still mad about the Festival.”

_The Festival again._

“Oh.”

When nothing else came, there was an awkward silence. At one point, Techno sighed.

“Wanna help me with something?”

“Can I?” Tubbo answered, brightening up. Bits of information picked up from the conversation and the old fear began to blur, disappear and be forgotten.

“Yeah. Follow me.”

Technoblade’s base was not that big, it did not have that much armor, weapons, and food (yet). At first, Tubbo was just an observer, occasionally asking Techno how he was doing. So it was until the moment when it turned out that the ghost could hold things in his hands. So the boy began to help the hybrid with the brewing of various potions and the expansion of the base (and also installed several redstone mechanisms, which made him very happy).

Tubbo was not sure how long they had been working, setting up a secret passageway, distributing things to chests, how many times he had forced Techno to take a break (not always successfully), but, suddenly, the warrior left, leaving the ghost alone in the base.

Unsure, Tubbo decides to continue wandering the lands of SMP, hoping to remember something.

_Around the same time, Technoblade returns to the Pogtopia. He does not tell Tommy anything about his meeting with Tubbo. There was no point in doing so. Not with the fact that Tommy refused to even sit in the same room with any of his older brothers._

… -.-. …. .-.. .- - -

Tubbo continued to explore the area, finding more and more new places in Dream SMP, watching strangers from afar, and taking breaks to help Technoblade with his base (they did not always catch each other). During that time, he never saw Tommy or Wilbur (he could hardly remember why they had to be here). When the ghost first voiced his concerns about his forgetfulness to Techno, the hybrid gave him a book. Now Tubbo is trying to fit in as many of the memories that he still has left. In some rare moments, Technoblade tells him stories from their shared past, and the boy writes them down so as not to forget.

Technoblade was not at the base that day when Tubbo looked in. So he went without a clear direction, which once again led him to that country. Techno said it was Manberg. There was something wrong with the name, and it made him shiver and faintly angry, but the ghost couldn't quite understand why.

It was night, so it was not particularly surprising that the streets were so empty (except for the patroller Tubbo had successfully avoided). As he passed an old van, the boy heard the sound of something between sobbing and laughing.

The ghost quietly entered through the hole in the front of the van. The first thing that caught his eye were empty glass bottles. Then he saw a horned hybrid sitting against the wall with a bottle in their hand.

“Um, excuse me? Do you need help?”

They stared at him blankly for a moment before answering.

“Da fuck ‘r ya doin’ here.”

“I, um-”

“GET DA FUCK OUTTA HERE!” And the hybrid threw a bottle at him.

~~ _"I WANT YOU TO KILL HIM RIGHT ON THIS FUCKING STAGE."_ ~~

Tubbo started back in horror, got swallowed up by the wall, and fell to the ground.

~~ _"AND MAKE IT HURT."_ ~~

They continued to shout, but the boy ran away in fright.

_Schlatt soon stopped shouting at the walls and making an even bigger mess. The boy's hallucination was gone, but that did not stop him from picking up the next bottle._

Philza

Tubbo was in the woods, not far from where he first woke up when he saw Philza. The man looked angry, scared, and disappointed at the same time. The ghost wanted to hide behind the trunk of a spruce tree and watch Phil from a distance, but he was noticed even before that.

“Tubbo? What are you doing here?”

“I, um-”

"Okay, never mind, we need to hurry," Philza interrupted sharply. "Can you take me to L’Manberg?" L’Manberg? Maybe he wanted to say, Manberg?

Tubbo nodded quickly, not correcting Phil, got his bearings, and floated forward. Because of the intense worry, Phil did not even notice that the boy's feet barely touched the ground, or how pale he was.

They got to L’Manberg surprisingly quickly. Philza asked Tubbo to lead him to the podium as soon as possible, so at one point they left the Prime Path to take a shortcut. The man was talking to someone (Wilbur?) through the communicator, when the view of Manberg came over the hill. Tubbo did not pay much attention to what they were saying, concentrating on where to turn to get to the final destination. Soon, they stopped at the back of the podium.

The boy could hear the sounds of fighting and fireworks exploding. He was getting scared. He could almost feel the fear burning inside him. Like it was- like-

“Stay around and hide somewhere.” Philza said quickly before disappearing into the corridor.

But Tubbo did not go anywhere, waiting for Phil to come out. He was alarmed by the echoes of the screams he heard. Then, at some point, the entrance closed, which caused the ghost to worry. The sounds of explosions did not make the situation any better. When Tubbo heard footsteps approaching, he broke down and walked through the wall into the room under the podium.

_Tssk._

And the explosions only got louder. Tabbo shrank back, hiding his head in his hands and covering his ears with his shoulders. The adults stood with their backs to him, oblivious to his presence.

“MY L’MANBER PHIL! MY UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, FOREVER UNFINISHED!” The loud and terrifying voice was the first thing the ghost heard as he removed his hands when the ground stopped shaking . “IF I CAN’T HAVE IT THEN NO ONE CAN, PHIL.” He recognized this voice.

Tubbo looked up and saw Wilbur with a sword. Over the screams of Wilbur and Philza, the boy barely heard someone call out his name. The ghost looked at the crowd outside, and his eyes met those familiar blue eyes.

Tommy’s eyes.

Suddenly, it was quiet.

“Oh, hey, Tubbo.” Tubbo turned his head in the direction of the voice. There was Wilbur, weakly hugging a trembling Philza. Hearing the younger boy's name slip out of his eldest son's mouth, Phil moved his head sharply. “See you on the other side.” Wilbur paused for air, a small, bitter laugh escaping on the exhalation. “You were a good kid.”

Wilbur exhaled a quiet and incomplete "I wish I could..." before falling completely into Philza's arms.

And then Tabbo remembered something.

_“Tubbo, we gotta stick together.”_

_…_

_‘I’m so sorry, Tommy. I really wish we could be.’_

_An explosion._

_Blue. Red. White._

_Darkness._

_Waking up in the woods._

Without hesitation, Tubbo runs back to the place where he woke up as a ghost.

_Philza was left to watch in shock as the boy in front of him disappeared into the wall._

Wilbur

Sometime in the afternoon, Tubbo was able to reach the spruce forest. He was not sure how soon after death ghosts appeared, or the circumstances of becoming a ghost, or whether Wilbur would have stayed at the place of his awakening. God, Tubbo was not sure why he had become a ghost himself!

But the closer he gets to his destination, the colder it gets. This cold is both frightening and comfortable. The boy finally ceases to feel the heat that has always been present in his entire being when he approaches the source of the cold.

Tubbo sees the red beanie and yellow sweater standing out against the green background and speeds up his pace, bumping into Wilbur's back and hugging him tightly. God, it had been so long since he had hugged anyone, it had been so long since he had been able to hug anyone—

“Hi, Tubbo!” The older one says hoarsely, slowly turning around and returning the hug. “Wow, you’re really warm. That’s cool.”

“You’re cool too.” Tubbo responses, squeezing Wilbur tighter in his arms. He does not want to let go.

They stand like that for a while, until the boy finds the hug sufficient.

“Do you know what happened? The last thing I remember is Phil stabbing me.” Tubbo looked into the empty white eyes. For a moment, he wondered if his own eyes were as lifeless as Wil’s.

“I’m not sure, sorry.”

“Then we should find someone and ask! I think someone in L'Manberg should know.”

“Okay.” Wilbur takes his hand and they walk together into a country they barely remember. On the way, Tubbo tells him everything he has learned about all-being-dead-thing.

_When Wilbur woke up, he remembered how he had died. When he woke up, he felt terribly cold. He did not know where to go, so he hesitantly wandered around in circles, trying to remember anything else. That was until he began to feel the warmth, until that warmth came close to him. A few fragments of memories flashed through his mind. Wilbur smiled, feeling that it had been a long time since his smile had been so truly happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think it's going to be mentioned any further, but Tubbo's eyes are normal-colored! Bc unlike Wilbur, he doesn't remember his death (well, he kinda does, but it's too blurry).  
> Uhh... I'm sure I wanted to say something else, but I can't remember what, sorry-
> 
> Btw, thanks for reading! Leave kudos and a comment, they'll make my day =)  
> Hope you enjoyed.  
>  _\- Sparrow_


	2. I'm out of hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo finally goes to see L'Manberg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one made me struggle for weeks. Also I think that some of characters might be OOC? But I hope it's still good to read.  
> Emotions are soooo hard, gee.  
> \---  
> Tell me if there any mistakes in the text!

Technoblade

Their little journey from one end of the server to the other took much longer than it could have. Mostly because Tubbo and Wilbur were distracted by something that made them either stop or go out of their way. But late at night when he reached the place, which had to be L’Manberg, both ghost were confused.

Instead of a country, there was a huge crater filled in some places with wooden buildings. On the opposite side there were tents.

“What- Where’s L’Manberg?” Wilbur's voice was low, husky, and sad.

Tubbo remembered with a shudder that when he entered the room where Philza and Wil were, there was a loud explosion. Was it the aftermath of the explosion? Who could have done this?

Not wanting to think about the things that frightened him anymore, the boy squeezed Wilbur's cold hand a little tighter and spoke.

“Maybe we should look for someone at the tents?” Tubbo asks timidly, distracting the older male from his gloomy and sad thoughts. It seemed to make the air colder, but all the boy could feel was the cold of Wilbur's hand and the heat of his being.

“Yeah… yeah, let’s go.”

And the two ghosts began to circle the crater, making their way slowly toward the tents.

But halfway there, Wilbur hesitated.

“You know, maybe we should come back later? I'm sure they all need a rest now.” He speaks softly, but loud enough for Tubbo to hear. “We can find something else to do. Do you know of any good places where we can practice my ghostly abilities?”

After a little thought, the younger one happily answers.

"Technoblade’s base! He gave me permission to help him there, and I'm sure he'd be happy if you'd come in too. I don't know if he's there right now, but if he's not, we could make him some extra potions or check out the farm.”

“A wonderful idea, I think. I like Technoblade. Lead the way.” Wilbur smiled a little, taking his mind off the sad thoughts and coming back to his happy memories with Techno.

Tubbo smiled back and pulled the older male into the woods.

When they arrived at the base, they were met with chaos: chests were overturned, some things were lying randomly on the floor, which was sticky due to spilled potions.

The younger ghost quickly began to search the place while Wilbur slowly scanned his brother's secret base. He would say that it was too much of a mess to be a place where Technoblade would spend his time. Even as a follower of chaos, Techno also liked order among his things.

Later, Wilbur went down the stairs, which he found at the enchantment table. Below, everything was in a similar state as above. This place looked very familiar.

“I- I don’t understand. What happened…” Tabbo muttered softly and fearfully as he stood in the middle of the black-stoned room. Wilbur walked slowly and calmly over to the teenager, still looking around.

There was a deep sigh behind them.

“A lot of things, to be honest.”

The ghosts turned, and their spirits rose sharply at the sight of a familiar face.

“Technoblade!” They shouted almost in unison as they ran to the hybrid standing at the bottom of the stairs. There was weariness and a certain sadness in his eyes. While Tubbo stood stiffly beside him, Wilbur made an attempt to hug his brother tightly, but to his surprise, he passed through him, sending a chill through the Technoblade's body and a strange sensation in the ghost's being. It was considerably better for the pig hybrid than Tubbo's burning presence, but still not enough to stay calm.

“Oh. I forgot about that.” The male in the beanie said with an awkward laugh. Techno moved his arm to pull his cloak closer around him.

“That’s fine.” He said as he walked towards the chests.

“Can we help you with your stuff?” Tubbo asked as he watched Technoblade move some items into his inventory. The hybrid hesitated for a moment before replying, continuing to collect everything that might be important.

“Yeah, sure. You can use your Enderchests to collect as many items as possible.” Techno pointed to a nearby chest with an eye on it. Tubbo and Wilbur cheered before starting to fill their inventory.

When the younger ghost ran out of space, he went to the Enderchest and opened it. In one of the slots, the boy noticed a red disk.

_“Tubbo, I’m gonna trust you with something. One of three discs. Don’t tell anyone you have it.”_

“Tubbo?”

The boy turned his head sharply in the direction of the voice. Techno and Wil were already waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

“You ready?” Hybrid asked.

“Uh- I- Yes! I am.” The teenager said as he put the disk back in the slot next to the other two and hurried to the older males.

They walked until they reached the sandy shore. Technoblade put two boats on the water. The hybrid boarded one boat, and the ghosts boarded the other. As they were about to set sail, Wilbur's hands barely moved the oars.

“Um, Technoblade?” The hybrid turned to look at them, one eyebrow raised in question. "I can't row." The ghost replied to his brother's silent question, showing his poor attempts to row with the unyielding oars.

“Well, that's problematic. I can't transport more than one.” Techno said with some sad annoyance.

“I think Tubbo can go with you. I'd like to see that place by the crater.” Wil spoke as he stepped out of the boat. “I'll hide a chest for you with everything I could collect.” The older ghost helped the younger one out and hugged him good-bye. “We’ll meet when you're done, kid?” Tubbo nodded enthusiastically before parting with Wilbur's comfortable coolness and getting into the boat with the waiting Techno. “Have fun! Bye-bye!"

The ghosts waved at each other until they were too far away. After that, it was a long and quiet journey across the sea. Both were lost in their own thoughts.

“Man, I miss Tommy.” Tubbo barely noticed that he had spoken the thought aloud. Technoblade's ear twitched slightly in his direction. “I thought you have already seen him?”

“No.” If the ghost could, he would now let out a sad sigh. "I don't think he'd be happy to see me again.” He said, pressing his knees to his chest and hugging them to stop the trembling.

“Why so?”

“I betrayed him.” The words sound so wrong on the tongue.

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did!” The air around them began to heat up. “I saw my grave in that town, it said I was a traitor. T-Tommy was supposed to be there. Who else could I betray?” Tubbo's hands were shaking. He didn't like to think that his best friend probably hated him.

"You're a traitor just because you were on Tommy's side during the revolution.” Technoblade said calmly and sadly.

The heat began to subside.

The rest of the journey was quiet.

_Even if he tried not to show it, Technoblade was very upset. So many people had betrayed him. He helped them, offered them weapons, food, armor, potions, so many materials for war. Hell, he even helped his ~~brothers~~ friends and some others train in fight! And how was he repaid? They looted and destroyed his base, slaughtered his cows, forced him to hide. _

_Techno was not sure if it was good or bad news to have two ghosts wandering around his base. But he will be fine with them as long as they do not stab him in the back like the others did. In the end, the hybrid was grateful to the ghost company._

_Near the end of Technoblade's move, the hybrid, having dropped off a little ghost near the docks, thinks to tell him about who killed him at the Festival._

_And so he does._

_They have a talk._

_Tubbo forgives him._

_Before leaving, he gives the boy an emerald that has been hastily scrawled 'Friendship Emerald'. The ghost smiles and thanks him. They said goodbye to each other, Tubbo was still holding the emerald tightly in his left hand._

_…_

_A few days later, Technoblade meets Philza. He helps the hybrid with the construction of a new house and moving.Techno gives his second emerald to Phil._

-. .. -.- .. and Eret

Tubbo was sitting in the dock with a bunch of dogs running around him, wagging their tails happily, waiting for Wilbur. The little ghost was almost certain that they were his dogs.

Towards noon Wilbur came. Ghosts quickly ran to each other and hugged, sharing the cold and warmth. The dogs ran excitedly in circles around them until Tubbo ordered them to sit down.

“Tubbo, there’s so much you need to see!” The older male began, leading the boy out of the docks, leaving the pets behind. “While you were gone, that crater was so transformed, it's very beautiful now! They're still building houses, but things are looking much better.” As the wooden surface gave way to a sandy one, the male in the beanie stopped, wondering where they should go first. “We can visit Niki first! She should be at the bakery right now. It's very close.”

Wilbur was so excited that he practically flew, dragging Tubbo with him. They did not stop until they were in the bakery.

“Niki! I’m with the special gueeest!” To be honest, Tubbo could not remember much about Niki. Until Wil said it, he could not even remember her name! But her name brought back, if vague, good memories. “Oh. Hello, Eret.”

Tubbo looked at the only living people in the place. He recognized Eret at once, and the other was probably Niki. Her appearance was only barely familiar to the younger ghost. They both looked shocked and disbelieving. The girl's eyes were beginning to glisten with tears, and she ran out from behind the counter, taking a couple of steps towards the ghost.

“Tubbo?..” She said softly, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Hi. Why are you sad?”

“Wha- I’m not, no.” Niki began to shake her head frequently, wiping away her tears. “I'm so glad you're really here.” She said with a faint but sincere smile. Tubbo smiled back at her, then looked at Eret, who was standing hesitantly behind Niki.

He had changed since their last meeting. There was no longer a frightening crown on his head, no more expensive clothes, now it was a shirt, a jacket with epaulettes, trousers and boots with heels.

When he and Eret met eyes, the latter was surprised that Tubbo's smile only grew brighter.

“Hi, Eret! Sorry for running away. I wanted to find Tommy.”

“Oh, Tommy will be so happy to see you, Tubbo!" Niki exclaimed.

“The child missed you very much." Eret continued, smiling slightly.

A more pleasant warmth spread through Tubbo's chest. He wants to see his best friend as soon as possible.

“Can we find Tommy?” He asked, turning to Wilbur. “Of course! Just check in at my place first, I think he might need some Blue to make him feel better. He's been so sad lately.”

After saying goodbye to the others, the ghosts moved on.

_Knowing that when one becomes a ghost, some of a person's memories disappear, Eret was very worried about Tubbo's reaction to him. Will the boy remember him? Will he remember the betrayal? They had, of course, become friends again after the first war, but what if all this progress in restoring trust had simply come to naught?_

_But all the unease subsided when Tubbo looked at him and smiled. Eret was glad that they might still be able to hang out with Niki in her bakery._

_…_

_When she saw who Wilbur had brought to her bakery, Niki immediately wanted to take the younger boy in her arms. But she had learned with Wilbur that she could not do it without an unpleasant side effect. But oh, God, how happy she was._

_Niki hoped that Tommy would finally smile. It had been so long since she had seen him smile._

_…_

_Some time later, after the ghosts had left, another guest with red and green eyes entered the bakery._

Quackity and Fundy

On the way to Wilbur's crane ghosts met Quackity and Fundy. Tubbo remembered Fundy, the son of Wilbur. But in the last memory, the fox was slightly shorter. About Quackity the boy could not remember much. Only that they had tamed dogs together, and that the older boy had once stolen Dream's mask and painted it to look like a Mexican flag.

“Hi!” Wilbur greeted them as soon as they were close enough. Then Tubbo also said hello.

Seeing the ghosts, Quackity adjusted his cracked mask with a silly smiley face, and Fundy slightly flattened his ears and nervously moved his tail. The first was Quackity, hurrying in the direction of the smaller of the ghosts. “Twobbooo-” He reached for the ghost, but quickly regretted it as he hissed and held his hands close to him. “Fuck, man, you’re BURNING.” Quackity said, shaking his burned hands in the air, trying to reduce pain from phantom of burns.

“Maybe it’s because of how I died.” Tubbo said simply and without any bad intention, shrugging his shoulders. But something about his sentence made Quackity and Fundy and flinch. And the ghost noticed it. But why? It seemed logical that if Wilbur died slowly freezing from blood loss, then Tubbo presumably died quickly from something hot. Like an explosion or lava. Although maybe the living two saw him die, and they do not like to remember it.

“Um, y-yeah, maybe.”

“Why are you sad?” Tubbo askes.

“Do you need some Blue?” The second ghost joins the conversation. “Let’s go, Tubbo, I’ll show you how to make Blue.”

With a hasty good-bye, Wilbur grabbed the boy's arm, and the two ghosts ran to the older’s hideout.

_Quackity, unbeknownst to all, frowned either sadly or in disappointment under the mask. Did he feel guilty about Tubbo's death? Not really. Rather, he was upset about it. They were friends, after all. If anyone should feel guilty about the death of a teenager, it is Technoblade. Pig not only executed Tubbo, but also helped to destroy L’Manberg. Quackity wants to plant his axe into the throat of the hybrid. When Quackity is ready, he will avenge his country and everyone who was killed or injured by Technoblade._

_…_

_Fundy, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable around both ghosts. One was his father who left him, and the other... they were good friends before the election. And then there was spying, information gathering… At one point after the Festival, Fundy was afraid that he, too, would be exposed, like Tubbo. ... Although, considering everything that has happened recently, being a ghost might not be a bad thing. But Fundy does not want to be a ghost and does not want to die. Just leaving a place with bad memories and building something new would be great, he thinks._

Philza and Tommy

After the ghosts dealt with the Blue, they took the crumbling stones and went to Philza's house.

Wilbur gave most of the Blue to random passers-by. For some, after touching the Blue, the stones began to change color to darker blue before turning to dust in the wind. It looked fascinating, and the people after that looked less depressed and sad.

Very soon, which was not surprising, since the town was quite small, they reached Philza's house. Wilbur, whose hands were full of Blue, gave a light kick to the bell by the door.

“Ding-ding!” The ghost in the yellow sweater shouted as loudly as possible. Soon, footsteps were heard and the door opened.

“Hello, Wilbur.” Philza greeted him with a tired smile. When the living man's eyes caught sight of Tubbo, he seemed to become more alert.“Tubbo! God, kid, where have you been?” The blond man asked, allowing the two ghosts to enter.

“Hi, Phil. I helped Technoblade with the move.” The boy looked around the room curiously. In a few days, Filza had already managed to get used to the server, given how many valuable resources were lying on the floor and at the crafting table.

“How’s Techno doing?” The man asked, taking the blue stone that Wilbur had tacitly offered him. The stone soon darkened and crumbled.

“He said he was going to retire or something? He's on another continent somewhere.” Philza nodded silently, clearing the blue dust from his hand. “Is Tommy here?” Tubbo asked after a long silence, during which another ghost was prowling around the house and laying out the remaining blue stones.

“Oh, his down in his room.” Phil pointed to the stairs leading down, which the boy then descended.

The room was dark because it was in the shadow of the crater, and the sun's rays barely touched the windows. It was hard to tell that this was Tommy's room, because it was too empty and boring. No decorations, no to-do sheets on the wall, no drafts of something-better-not-to-be-read on the floor. Just a couple of chests and a bed in the corner. On the bed itself, Tommy was sleeping surprisingly quietly.

Tubbo was not sure if he should wake up his friend, so he decided to just wait patiently and prepare for the upcoming conversation. The ghost sat cross-legged on the floor, lost in thought.

Maybe Tommy would be mad at him for not showing up. Maybe he will be sad and disappointed. In either case, the boy would have been loud and expressive. But how much has changed in Tubbo's absence? The two boys will meet face to face for the first time after all this time.

The sound of a blanket being aggressively thrown on the floor brought the ghost out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Tommy slowly rising from the bed.

When the blond boy slowly opened his eyes, it took him a moment to notice Tubbo. He squinted at the ghostly figure before awareness crashed into his head, removing any remnants of sleep.

“Tubbo?” Tommy said, his voice breaking.

“Hi-” “Y-you- SON OF A BITCH, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Tommy jumped out of bed, moving toward Tubbo, who quickly got on his feet. “AND DON'T YOU GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT ABOUT BECOMING A GHOST RECENTLY, BECAUSE WILBUR WOULDN'T HAVE SHOWN UP SO FAST. YOU’VE BEEN GONE FOR. A WHOLE. MON-th…” The teenager stopped his speech, choking on a sob.

“You need some Blue? Wilbur said that-” The ghost boy tried to offer some help, but was interrupted by Tommy, who suddenly put his fist to the ghost's chest, where his heart had once been beating.

“Fuck it.” Tubbo looked down at the hand hanging next to his chest, confused. He recalls how Quackity burned himself on his being, even before close approach. Does his presence burn Tommy too? “Why didn’t you come back… You… Did you even remember…”

The ghost wanted to help. He wanted to comfort his friend. He remembers, he remembers so many moments that they spent together, side by side! But why could he not remember how to do it without resorting to stupid blue stones that absorbed sadness? After all, he was able to do it easily in life, why can't he do it now?

…

Maybe... maybe it is because he is not the same Tubbo anymore. No more live Tubbo. There is only the dead one.

_“We gotta stick together.”_

But he promised to be side by side with Tommy, did he not? That is the reason he is a ghost, right? To keep the promise until they both are dead.

He may never be able to become a living version of himself, but he can still be Tommy's friend.

Tubbo slowly brings his fist closer to Tommy's chest, his knuckles feeling the beating of a living heart. Tommy is waiting. He does not know what, just. Something. Anything to prove that his friend was still with him and had not forgotten him in death.

“Can we talk about this on our bench? Maybe even watch the sunset and ... and listen to your discs, if you want. Like before.” Tubbo suggested. It only seemed to upset his friend more.

“I… I don’t have my discs anymore, Tubbo.”

“Didn't you give them to me? I have all three. Blocks, Cat and Melohi.”

“You do?” The ghost nods back, then points his head in the direction of the stairs, telling him to go now.

And they are leaving the dark room together.

_Philza watches as the two boys leave the house, saying a hasty goodbye and announcing their departure. For the first time in a long time, he sees Tommy cheering up, a spark of life in his eyes, finally stepping out into the street. Phil could just hope that soon everything will be better._

_…_

_Tommy sits with Tubbo on their bench, the music playing softly on the jukebox. There are many moments that the ghost does not remember, which, of course, is sad. All the wars they had been through, all the fear they had shared together… But maybe it is even better that way. And maybe things will get better soon. Tommy finally has all his discs, his best friend is still with him. He can finally take a break from all the major conflicts and just enjoy life._

_Tommy smiles as he watches the sun set with Tubbo._

_…_

The sun is setting. The music stops. Someone in a white mask watches greedily as the disks disappear into the Enderchest. And the two friends go home, catching up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually thought about giving Tubbo the ability to make (color), like Ghostbur with Blue, but I wasn't sure which. I thought about White or Yellow mb, but then went naaah, bc it's not needed here.  
> Also! While Ghostbur doesn't remember sad things, Tubbo forgets all (or most) of frightening memories (so he baaarely remembers any of Wars).  
> And, as much as I can remember, some of discs were fake, right? But kids don't know that, so yeah =)  
> And I made Eret the temporary president ('till next election or so), bc I thought that he'll be good for this role?  
> \---  
> Hope it was readable enough and you enjoyed!  
> Thank you  
>  _\- Sparrow_


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